PATIENT AND FAMILY RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
Al Zahra Hospital Dubai states that the PATIENT has the following RIGHTS:
• Health facility and health professionals shall respect the patient’s dignity and shall enable the patient to obtain a copy of the Patient’s Rights & Responsibilities Charter, as well as access
to service and healthcare in the language they choose by providing an interpreter, when necessary.
• Health facilities shall respect the patient’s privacy, protect the information and data in his /her health file, social status, confidentiality of correspondence, communications, and provide
amenities without inconvenience and defamation, as required by the applicable legislation.
• Health facilities and health professionals shall ensure the health protection of members of society within the respect of the basic human rights and safety of patients receiving their services.
• Physicians and all health professionals shall use all available means and possibilities to provide the best possible and appropriate services for the patient’s health.
• The right to health services is a basic right of all members of society, regardless of social status, within the limits stipulated by the applicable legislation.
• All patients have the right to be treated, listened to and advised by a physician in the same manner without discrimination.
• The patient has the right to know the identity of attending physician(s) or health team with that the patient deals with and to know the specialization of each of them.
• Health facilities shall ensure the continuity of health service provision to the patient, and the health staff shall follow up on the implementation of the service initiated as long as the
patient’s health status so requires.
• Health facilities shall ensure the admission of the patient who visits facilities such to receive their services and, if unable to do so, ensure that the patient is admitted to another health
facility in which the conditions and requirements for health care are met.
• Health staff shall take into account the risks that may arise from prevention, treatment, detection or diagnosis activities with constant keenness to achieve the desired benefit of the
provided health service.
• The patient has the right, if he/she is conscious and able to express his/her opinion clearly, to refuse to receive the health service, taking into account the special cases stipulated by the
applicable legislation.
• Health facility and its personnel shall respect the patient’s desire and shall not violate his/her freedom to discontinue receiving the health service, unless his/her condition constitutes a
threat to himself/herself, the others or the public health.
• The patient has the right, on his/her personal responsibility, to leave the health facility and not to initiate or follow up on the implementation of the health service specified, subject to the
exceptions stipulated by the applicable legislation.
• The patient has the right to be prescribed treatment, including treatment procedures, surgical interventions, etc., and the quantities of drug, its side effects and its route of administration
are clearly defined. The patient has the right to know the reason for undergoing various examinations and treatments. Any action taken when providing health services is recorded in
his/her health file.
• The patient has the right to know the nature and severity of his/her illness and to informed of it, unless his/her interest requires otherwise, or if his/her psychological condition does not
permit to be informed of the same, in which case his/her legal representative must be informed.
• The patient has the right to obtain a medical report on his health condition and the accurate results of examinations. He/she also has the right to obtain a copy of his/her health file.
• Health facility must perform the necessary laboratory tests and analyses before performing any surgery, obtain the patient’s written consent to perform the surgery, inform him/her of the
possible medical effects and complications, and notify the patient of full expenses of the health services before initiating any procedures.
• The patient has the right to obtain detailed invoices of amounts of all services provided by the health facility.
• The patient has the right to obtain educational guidance commensurate with his/her age, level of understanding, awareness and welfare.
• The patient has the right to be informed of the nature and severity of his/her illness, and expectations of any other diseases or infecting others, unless his/her interest requires otherwise,
or if his/her psychological condition does not permit him/her to be informed of the same. In this case, the legal representative must be informed of the same, and health knowledge and
awareness must be provided to patients and their families to make decisions on the treatment plan and participate in the health care provided.
• The physician shall provide the patient in a simple and understandable language information related to his/her illness, the course of treatment and development of health condition, taking
into account the difficulty of understanding and dialogue when dealing with certain categories of patients (children, psychiatric patients and the elderly).

Patients shall be informed:
• While being at the clinic or during a special session.
• While being hospitalized in the health facility.
• Upon leaving the health facility, to urge him/her to continue treatment, take preventive
measures and avoid complications that may cause health setback to his/her condition.
The patient has the right to be informed of the following:
• Various examinations, proposed treatments and necessary preventive services.
• The benefits and estimated cost of the proposed course of treatment in advance.
• The urgency of implementation of the proposed health services to be provided.
• The expected results from the proposed health service.
• Possible alternatives to the proposed health service.
• The expected results in case of refusal of the health services.
• Reasons for his/her transfer from a health facility to another.
The physician may be exempted from providing information to the patient in
emergencies, or in case that the patient refuses to know such information, or when
his/her interest so requires.
• The patient’s informed consent must be obtained to receive the health service in
advance, subject to the exceptions specified by law.
• The right to consent to the health service belongs to the patient or his/her legal
representative if the patient is incapacitated or restricted.
• Before carrying out a medical experiment on any person, his/her written consent must
be obtained after being informed of the experiment purpose, method and duration, in
addition to the undesirable effects it may have, and, in all cases, the conditions and
measures specified in the applicable legislation in the country must be adhered to.
• Personal health information and data are owned by the patient and protected within the
scope of the preservation of the medical confidentiality that may only be disclosed to
third parties under the patient’s permission or in cases required by law.
• The physician must provide the patient of information and data related to his/her health
and not maintain medical confidentiality, except in accordance with the conditions and
in the cases stipulated in the applicable legislation.
• A family, a relative or a person who enjoys the patient’s trust and appointed for this
purpose may be notified, when a serious development of his/her health condition is
expected, unless the patient has prevented the same in advance.
Patient Responsibilities:

• To respect the physician’s independence to assess and determine the appropriate
treatment for his/her health condition.
• To accept the methods of prevention and treatment and the prescribed means for the same.
• To comply with the treatment team recommendations, carry out the required examinations
in time, and take the prescribed drugs.
• To ensure the hygiene rules of the health facility and personal hygiene are respected.
• To comply with the requirements of the internal system of the health facility, in which
the service is provided.
• To respect the measures taken by the department within the health facility and to
comply with its applicable regulations.
• To respect the facility’s health professionals and have good morals in dealing with them.
• To preserve the health facility’s property, including buildings, equipment, etc.
• To respect the conditions of admission, hospitalization and discharge applicable in the
health facility.
• To present the required administrative and personal documents (identity documents and
any other document required by the patient undertaking procedures in the health facility).
• In the event of patient’s refusal to receive the health service or to be hospitalized in the
facility and insisting on leaving the facility without medical consent on the same, the
patient or his/her legal representative must sign a document that proves his/her
refusal to health service or hospitalization in the health facility in order to discharge
the health facility from any consequences. If the patient or his/her legal representative
refuses to sign this document, an official report of the event shall be issued to be
signed by the facility’s physician and administrative officer and shall be recorded in the
facility’s note record.
• To pay the health facility’s dues or to present in advance a certificate of undertake the
expenses provided under the social security or health insurance institution.
• The patient shall comply with his/ her responsibilities towards the health facility and its
personnel. The health facility may refer to the competent authority if the patient fails to
comply with his/her responsibilities and violates the rules and controls specified under
the applicable legislation in force in the country.